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1) Name of property and country: Canon Lodge, Fish River Canyon, Namibia
2) Website address if known: http://www2.fishriverlodge.com.na
3) Date of stay, including whether Green Season, Shoulder season or High season pricing (if known). Low/Green season, March, 2015
4) Length of stay: 2 nights
5) Why did you choose this camp or lodge to stay in? Based upon what? I read about this property on TA and we wanted to see the canyon.
6) How did you book the property, direct or agent? Were your enquiries dealt with quickly and efficiently? I did the initial research and then contacted Discover Namibia who arranged everything.
7) How many times have you been on Safari? 4 times
8) To which countries? South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Namibia.
9) Which properties have you been to previously that you are comparing this one to? A more modern version of Grootberg Lodge.
10) Was the camp/lodge fenced? No, but there wasn’t too much around to be worried about.
11) How many rooms/tents does it have? 9 cabins
12) What tent or room did you stay in? Did it have a good view? Was it overlooked or private? We had amazing views from each cabin.
13) How comfortably furnished was the room/tent? The rooms were large, comfortable, well furnished and clean. Unfortunately the wind was incredibly and sleep depriving.
14) Did you like the food? If yes, please state why. If no, please state why. The food was ok. Great food for all the meals
15) Was there a varied menu offering multiple choice? If vegetarian was a suitable alternative offered? (Did you have to request this in advance?) Yes there were different things on offer.
16) What is the default dining arrangement? Single tables or communal dining? Do the guides/managers host at mealtimes? Single tables, no hosting.
17) How good were the packed breakfasts/lunches if staying out on game drives? Very good, plenty of fresh food.
18) What are the game drive vehicles? Please include photo if possible. Open air with a canvas roof.
19) How many guests per row? 2 guests
20) How long were the game drives and were they varied in the routes taken? Self guided walks, full day canyon drives and half day safari drives.
21) What are the standard game drive times? Are game drive times flexible: i.e., if agreed in advance, can you go out earlier than suggested and stay out later, i.e., not returning for lunch but taking supplies with you? N/A
22) Is this a private conservancy/concession, and what is the vehicle/lodge density like? Very quiet and remote.
23) If in a National Park, what is the vehicle density in the immediate vicinity?
24) Are you able to off-road? Yes
25) Are there rotation policies for sightings i.e., You face the risk of queuing or being bumped from a sighting. N/A
26) What wildlife is this property known for? Did you get good sightings. Antelopes
27) How was the standard of guiding? Excellent guide
28) If you had a bad experience with a guide, why? Did you report the issue to management, and if so, how did they deal with the issue? N/A
29) If you had a very good experience with your guide, please give reasons why:
30) Were staff attentive to your requests/needs? The staff were very happy and helpful.
31) Does the property support a local community conservation initiative. If so, please provide brief details and website address if known. Not sure.
32) Safaritalk trip report link:
33) Any other pertinent details you wish to add:
Just like everyone else we too were thankful we had a 4WD after completing the last 19km to the lodge but that pales in comparison when you walk through the doors and see the view. The staff, facilities and rooms are fantastic at Fish River. The only downside is the horrific and sleep depriving wind that we endured the first night. We took a day trip down to the canyon floor which was hard work but amazing and very scary during certain stages. I am yet to edit the film footage we took from our GoPros which I am sure still won't show how incredible some of the drive is. Our guide was unbelievable and a very safe driver. The food was delicious and it was so nice to see all the staff entertaining everyone with their amazing singing/dancing during our meal. This was well appreciated. 2 nights is fine for a stay but be prepared for the wind and use the ear plugs.
34) Please add your photographs of the property below, with headings.

Hi, We're 2 backpackers travelling in Tanzania and on (or close after) June 11th we plan to visit Empakaai Crater, Olmoti Crater and Ol Doinyo Lengai in the Crater Highlands and the incredible Lake Natron. To make things affordable we'd love to team up with other visitors. In short the plan (which is open for discussion) is: Day 1: Drive from Arusha, visit Olmoti Crater, camp. Day 2: Hike Empakaai Crater, camp. Day 3: Visit Lake Natron and waterfalls, camp. Day 4: Hike Ol Doinyo Lengai and drive back to Arusha. We've researched options on how to do this organized and how to do it ourselves. If you're interested please let us know. Communication may be a bit limited because of our 4 day Serengeti / Ngorongoro Crater safari, but I've been told there's access in some places so I will check for your post or message. BTW, one of the options is connecting our safari with the above mentioned plan. In that case we could leave on the evening of June 10th if that suits you better. Tnx! drftr